Unnecessary street clutter can make the journeys of all road users awkward, regardless whether they are motorists, cyclists or pedestrians, and can dissuade people from visiting local areas.

By identifying and removing unnecessary poles, signs and other street furniture, we can make our road network more accessible and help transform our city environment into one that people can enjoy working, shopping and socialising in.

The Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin: "There are too many unnecessary signs blotting the landscapes of our towns and cities. That is why I have published new guidance, to help encourage local authorities to make old, confusing and ugly signs a thing of the past.

"I want to congratulate London, Hampshire and Somerset councils for leading the way and getting rid of sign clutter.

"They are a fantastic example and I urge other councils to think about where traffic signs are placed and whether they are needed at all."

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Jules Pipe, the chair of the London Councils, has warned that the Government cannot keep cutting the local government funding to the capital. He says London will need more money to build new primary schools and increase housing.

Scouts, guides, police cadets and other youth clubs are to be set up in deprived areas as part of a £10 million scheme to improve life chances and cut crime.

The groups are usually found in leafy suburbs and shire counties, but ministers want to bring them into inner cities.

A joint initiative between the Government and Youth United - an umbrella organisation for uniformed bodies - is to see some 2,700 volunteers trained to lead 400 groups in locations across England such as Hackney, Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford and Middlesbrough.

The intention is to provide 10,000 more places for youths, including offenders, disruptive schoolchildren, children in care, and the unemployed.

According to The Times, Communities Minister Andrew Stunell is due to announce details of the initiative in Tottenham, where riots started last summer.

The Coryton refinery's parent company has gone into administration. Credit: ITN

The Union union has criticised the Government after it decided not to apply for the European Commission's permission to use state funds to help the Coryton oil refinery. The refinery's parent company went into liquidation in January putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

The Government could have subsidised the refinery until a new buyer was found, but it would have needed to get EU permission first. However, the Department for Energy and Climate Change has decided not to go ahead and said it would not be sustainable to provide help.